1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of scarifying apparatus used to break up soil and to dig earth trenches, and more particularly to a novel scarifying assembly having toothed roller mounting and supporting means providing improved load-carrying capabilities and disassembly characteristics over conventional apparatus.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
During building construction and landscaping, the need arises to lay underground pipelines and conduits. The trenches are frequently long and can be as deep as required. During the trenching, several different soil compositions can be encountered, including hardpan strata which a regular backhoe bucket is unable to break up and will simply slide over. Similarly, while contouring a land area for utility trenches or other purposes, the composition of the soil can go from loose soil to hardpan, resulting in high and low areas. Larger tractor equipment can overcome this difference in soil composition but is not practical from a cost aspect, or if the area is limited in size.
Attempts have been made to provide scarifying apparatus such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,276, which have been successful; however, problems have been encountered in the area of service, repair and maintenance which stem largely from difficulties encountered in removing pre-assembled components, access to such components and providing adequate distribution of applied load forces.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a scarifying apparatus wherein the major components are readily accessible and wherein improved assembly and construction practices provide greater load-carrying characteristics as well as earth digging or scarifying results. Means are needed to split or break rocks that may be jammed between adjacent teeth as the toothed roller revolves during a digging procedure.